1 Kings 19:16 - 2 Kings 10:36

New American Standard Bible

¹⁶ You shall also anoint ^(A)Jehu the son of Nimshi king over Israel; and you shall anoint ^(B)Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. ¹⁷ And it shall come about that the ^(C)one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu ^(D)shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. ^18 (E)Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not ^(F)kissed him.”

¹⁹ So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat while he was plowing, with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah came over to him and threw ^(G)his cloak on him. ²⁰ Then he left the oxen behind and ran after Elijah, and said, “Please ^(H)let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back, for ^[a]what have I done to you?” ²¹ So he returned from following him, and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them, and ^(I)cooked their meat with the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he got up and followed Elijah and served him.

War with Aram

20 Now ^(J)Ben-hadad, king of Aram, gathered all his army, ^(K)and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and ^(L)besieged Samaria, and fought against it. ² Then he sent messengers to the city to Ahab, king of Israel, and said to him, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ³ ‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your most beautiful wives and children are also mine.’” ⁴ And the king of Israel replied, “As ^[b]you say, my lord, O king; I am yours, as well as all that I have.” ⁵ Then the messengers returned and said, “Ben-hadad says ^[c]this: ‘I did indeed send word to you, saying, “You shall give me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children”; ⁶ but about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants; and they will take in their hands everything that is pleasing to your eyes, and take it all away.’”

⁷ Then the king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said, “Please be aware and ^(M)see that this man is looking for trouble; for he sent me his demand for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, and I did not refuse him.” ⁸ Then all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen nor consent.” ⁹ So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘Everything that you sent as a demand to your servant at the first, I will do; but this thing I cannot do.’” Then the messengers departed, and brought him word again. ¹⁰ Ben-hadad sent word to him and said, “May ^(N)the gods do so to me and more so, ^[d]if the dust of Samaria will be enough for handfuls for all the people who ^[e]follow me.” ¹¹ Then the king of Israel replied, “Tell him, ‘^(O)He who straps on his weapons had better not boast like one who takes them off.’” ¹² And when Ben-hadad heard this message, while ^(P)he was drinking ^[f]with the kings in the ^[g]temporary shelters, he said to his servants, “Take your positions.” So they took their positions against the city.

Ahab Victorious

¹³ Now behold, a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel, and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, ^(Q)I am going to hand them over to you today, and ^(R)you shall know that I am the Lord.’” ¹⁴ But Ahab said, “By whom?” So he said, “The Lord says this: ‘By the young men of the leaders of the provinces.’” Then he said, “Who will begin the battle?” And he said, “You will.” ¹⁵ So he mustered the young men of the leaders of the provinces, and there were 232; and after them he mustered all the people, all the sons of Israel: seven thousand.

¹⁶ They went out at noon, while ^(S)Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the ^[h]temporary shelters ^[i]with the thirty-two kings who were helping him. ¹⁷ The young men of the leaders of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out scouts, and they reported to him, saying, “Men have come out from Samaria.” ^18 (T)Then he said, “If they have come out ^[j]for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive as well.”

¹⁹ So these men went out from the city, the young men of the leaders of the provinces, and the army which followed them. ²⁰ And they ^[k]killed, each one, his man; and the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, and Ben-hadad the king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen. ²¹ The king of Israel also went out and struck the horses and chariots, and ^[l]killed the Arameans in a great slaughter.

²² Then ^(U)the prophet approached the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, show yourself courageous and be aware and see what you have to do; for ^(V)at ^[m]the turn of the year the king of Aram will march against you.”

²³ Now the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “^(W)Their gods are gods of the mountains; for that reason they were stronger than we. But let us fight them in the plain, and we will certainly be stronger than they. ²⁴ Carry out this ^[n]plan: remove the kings, each from his place, and put governors in their place, ²⁵ and ^[o]muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain, and we will certainly be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice and did so.

Another Aramean War

²⁶ So ^(X)at ^[p]the turn of the year Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to ^(Y)Aphek to fight against Israel. ²⁷ And the sons of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and they went to meet them; and the sons of Israel camped opposite them like two little flocks of goats, ^(Z)while the Arameans filled the country. ²⁸ Then ^(AA)a man of God approached and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Since the Arameans have said, “^(AB)The Lord is a god of mountains, but He is not a god of valleys,” therefore ^(AC)I will hand over to you all this great multitude, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’” ²⁹ So they camped, one opposite the other, for seven days. And on the seventh day the battle was joined, and the sons of Israel ^[q]killed of the Arameans a hundred thousand foot soldiers in a single day. ³⁰ But the rest fled to ^(AD)Aphek into the city, and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men who were left. And Ben-hadad fled and came into the city, going from one ^(AE)inner room to another.

³¹ But ^(AF)his servants said to him, “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please let’s ^(AG)put sackcloth ^[r]around our waists and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will let ^[s]you live.” ³² So ^(AH)they put sackcloth ^[t]around their waists and ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, “^(AI)Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please let ^[u]me live.’” And Ahab said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” ³³ Now the men took this as a good omen, and quickly ^[v]accepting it from him, they said, “Your brother Ben-hadad.” Then he said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and he had him mount the chariot. ³⁴ And Ben-hadad said to him, “^(AJ)The cities which my father took from your father I will restore, and you can make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.” Ahab said, “And I will let you go with this covenant.” So he made a covenant with him and let him go.

³⁵ Now a man from ^(AK)the sons of the prophets said to ^[w]another ^(AL)by the word of the Lord, “Please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him. ³⁶ Then he said to him, “Because you have not listened to the voice of the Lord, behold, as soon as you leave me, ^(AM)a lion will ^[x]kill you.” And as soon as he left him a lion found him and ^[y]killed him. ³⁷ Then he found another man and said, “Please strike me.” And the man struck him, ^[z]injuring him. ³⁸ So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and ^(AN)disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. ³⁹ And as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he goes missing, ^(AO)then your life shall be forfeited in place of his life, or else you shall pay a ^[aa]talent of silver.’ ⁴⁰ Now while your servant was busy here and there, he disappeared.” And the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself determined it.” ⁴¹ Then he quickly took the bandage away from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him, that he was one of the prophets. ⁴² And the prophet said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Since you have let go from your hand the man I had designated for destruction, ^(AP)your ^[ab]life shall be forfeited in place of his ^[ac]life, and your people in place of his people.’” ⁴³ So ^(AQ)the king of Israel went to his house sullen and furious, and came to Samaria.

Ahab Covets Naboth’s Vineyard

21 Now it came about after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in ^(AR)Jezreel beside the palace of Ahab, the king of Samaria. ² And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “^(AS)Give me your vineyard so that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is close beside my house, and I will give you a better vineyard in place of it; if ^[ad]you prefer, I will give you what ^[ae]it is worth in money.” ³ But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid me ^(AT)that I would give you the inheritance of my fathers!” ^4 (AU)So Ahab entered his house sullen and furious because of the ^[af]answer that Naboth the Jezreelite had given to him, since he said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned his face away, and ate no ^[ag]food.

⁵ But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “How is it that your spirit is so sullen that you are not eating ^[ah]food?” ⁶ So he said to her, “It is because I was speaking to Naboth the Jezreelite and saying to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you a vineyard in place of it.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” ⁷ Jezebel his wife said to him, “^(AV)Do you now ^[ai]reign over Israel? Arise, eat bread, and let your heart be joyful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

^8 (AW)So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to ^(AX)the elders and to the nobles who were living with Naboth in his city. ⁹ Now she had written in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people; ¹⁰ and seat two ^(AY)worthless men opposite him, and have them testify against him, saying, ‘^(AZ)You ^[aj]cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and ^(BA)stone him ^[ak]to death.”

Jezebel’s Plot

¹¹ So the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did just as Jezebel had sent word to them, just as it was written in the letters which she had sent them. ¹² They ^(BB)proclaimed a fast, and seated Naboth at the head of the people. ¹³ Then the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him; and the worthless men testified against him, against Naboth, before the people, saying, “Naboth ^[al]cursed God and the king.” ^(BC)So they took him outside the city and stoned him ^[am]to death with stones. ¹⁴ Then they sent word to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”

¹⁵ And when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” ¹⁶ When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab got up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

¹⁷ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ¹⁸ “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, ^(BD)who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it. ¹⁹ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “^(BE)Have you murdered and also taken possession?”’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘The Lord says this: “^(BF)In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, the dogs will lick up your blood, yours as well.”’”

²⁰ Then Ahab said to Elijah, “^(BG)Have you found me, enemy of mine?” And he ^[an]answered, “I have found you, ^(BH)because you have given yourself over to do evil in the sight of the Lord. ²¹ Behold, I am bringing disaster upon you, and I ^(BI)will utterly sweep you away, and will eliminate from Ahab every male, both ^[ao]bond and free in Israel; ²² and ^(BJ)I will make your house ^(BK)like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you ^(BL)have misled Israel into sin. ²³ The Lord has also spoken of Jezebel, saying, ‘^(BM)The dogs will eat Jezebel in the ^[ap]territory of Jezreel.’ ^24 (BN)The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs will eat; and the one who dies in the field, the birds of the sky will eat.”

^25 (BO)There certainly was no one like Ahab who gave himself over to do evil in the sight of the Lord, ^[aq]because Jezebel his wife incited him. ^26 (BP)He also acted very despicably in following idols, ^(BQ)conforming to everything that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord drove out from the sons of Israel.

²⁷ Yet it came about, when Ahab heard these words, that ^(BR)he tore his clothes and put ^[ar]on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently. ²⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ²⁹ “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; I will bring the disaster upon his house ^(BS)in his son’s days.”

Ahab’s Third Campaign against Aram

22 Now ^[as]three years passed without war between Aram and Israel. ^2 (BT)In the third year, ^(BU)Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. ³ Now the king of Israel said to his servants, “Are you aware that ^(BV)Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, yet we are hesitant to take it out of the hand of the king of Aram?” ⁴ So he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go to battle with me at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “^[at](BW)Consider me yours, my people yours, and my horses yours!”

⁵ However, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please request the word of the Lord ^[au]first.” ⁶ So ^(BX)the king of Israel assembled the ^[av]prophets, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Should I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead or should I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.” ⁷ But ^(BY)Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of him?” ⁸ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy anything good regarding me, but only bad. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah.” But Jehoshaphat said, “May the king not say so.” ⁹ Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah quickly.” ¹⁰ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting, each on his throne, dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and ^(BZ)all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹¹ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made ^(CA)horns of iron for himself and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘^(CB)With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed!’” ¹² All the prophets were prophesying this as well, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.”

Micaiah Predicts Defeat

¹³ Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold now, the words of the prophets are ^[aw]unanimously favorable to the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” ¹⁴ But Micaiah said, “^(CC)As the Lord lives, whatever ^(CD)the Lord says to me, I shall speak it.”

¹⁵ When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?” And he said, “^(CE)Go up and succeed, for the Lord will hand it over to the king!” ¹⁶ Then the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear that you will tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” ¹⁷ So he said,

¹⁸ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “^(CG)Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy anything good regarding me, but only bad?”

¹⁹ And Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. ^(CH)I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and ^(CI)all the ^[ax]angels of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. ²⁰ And the Lord said, ‘Who will ^[ay]entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one spirit said this, while another said that. ²¹ Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will ^[az]entice him.’ ²² And the Lord said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and ^(CJ)be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You shall ^[ba]entice him, and you will also prevail. Go and do so.’ ²³ Now then, behold, ^(CK)the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours; and the Lord has declared disaster against you.”

²⁴ Then ^(CL)Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and struck Micaiah on the cheek; and he said, “^(CM)How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?” ²⁵ And Micaiah said, “Behold, you are going to see how on that day when you ^(CN)go from one inner room to ^[bb]another trying to hide yourself.” ²⁶ Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son; ²⁷ and say, ‘This is what the king says: “^(CO)Put this man in prison, and feed him enough bread and water to survive until I ^[bc]return safely.”’” ²⁸ But Micaiah said, “^(CP)If you actually return ^[bd]safely, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “^(CQ)Listen, all you people!”

Defeat and Death of Ahab

²⁹ So ^(CR)the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead. ³⁰ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “^(CS)I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle. ³¹ Now ^(CT)the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two commanders of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with the small or great, but only with the king of Israel.” ³² So when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely he is the king of Israel!” And they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. ³³ Then, when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

³⁴ Now one man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel ^[be]in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn ^[bf]around and take me out of the battle, ^(CU)for I am severely wounded.” ³⁵ The battle ^[bg]raged on that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot in front of the Arameans, and he died at evening, and the blood from the wound ran into the bottom of the chariot. ^36 (CV)Then the word passed throughout the army close to sunset, saying, “Every man to his city, and every man to his ^[bh]country!”

³⁷ So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria. ³⁸ They washed out the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood (it was there that the prostitutes bathed themselves) ^(CW)in accordance with the word of the Lord which He had spoken. ³⁹ Now as for the rest of the acts of Ahab and everything that he did, and ^(CX)the ivory house which he built and all the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ⁴⁰ So Ahab ^[bi]lay down with his fathers, and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.

The New Rulers

^41 (CY)Now Jehoshaphat the son of Asa became king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. ⁴² Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. ^43 (CZ)He walked ^[bj]entirely in the way of his father Asa; he did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. ^(DA)However, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. ^44 (DB)Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.

⁴⁵ Now as for the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might which he showed and how he made war, are they not written ^(DC)in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ⁴⁶ And the remnant of ^(DD)the cult prostitutes who remained in the days of his father Asa, he eliminated from the land.

⁴⁷ Now ^(DE)there was no king in Edom; a governor served as king. ⁴⁸ Jehoshaphat built ^(DF)ships of Tarshish to go to ^(DG)Ophir for gold, but ^(DH)they did not go, because the ships were destroyed at ^(DI)Ezion-geber. ⁴⁹ Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat was not willing. ^50 (DJ)And Jehoshaphat ^[bk]lay down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David, and his son Jehoram became king in his place.

⁵¹ Ahaziah the son of Ahab ^(DK)became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel for two years. ⁵² He did evil in the sight of the Lord and ^(DL)walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who misled Israel into sin. ^53 (DM)So he served Baal and worshiped him, and provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done.

Ahaziah’s Messengers Meet Elijah

1 Now ^(DN)Moab broke with Israel after the death of Ahab. ² And Ahaziah fell through the window lattice in his upper chamber which was in Samaria, and became ill. So he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, ^(DO)inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, ^(DP)whether I will recover from this sickness.” ³ But the angel of the Lord said to ^(DQ)Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of ^(DR)Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’ ⁴ Now therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘^[bl](DS)You will not get down from the bed upon which you have lain, but you shall certainly die.’” Then Elijah departed.

⁵ When the messengers returned to ^[bm]Ahaziah, he said to them, “^[bn]Why have you returned?” ⁶ They said to him, “A man came up to meet us and said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you and say to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending messengers ^(DT)to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore ^[bo]you will not get down from the bed upon which you have lain, but you shall certainly die.’”’” ⁷ Then he said to them, “What ^[bp]did the man look like, who came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?” ⁸ And they said to him, “^(DU)He was a hairy man with a leather ^[bq]belt worn around his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

⁹ Then the king ^(DV)sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. And he went up to him, and behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he said to him, “You man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’” ¹⁰ But Elijah replied to the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, ^(DW)may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” ^(DX)Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.

¹¹ So the king again sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty men. And he said to him, “You man of God, this is what the king says: ‘Come down quickly!’” ¹² But Elijah replied to them, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.

¹³ So the king ^(DY)again sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty men. When the third captain of fifty went up, he came and bowed down on his knees before Elijah, and begged him and said to him, “You man of God, please let my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. ¹⁴ Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my ^[br]life be precious in your sight.” ¹⁵ And ^(DZ)the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; ^(EA)do not be afraid of him.” So he got up and went down with him to the king. ¹⁶ Then he said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Since you have sent messengers ^(EB)to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word? Therefore ^[bs]you will not get down from the bed upon which you have lain, but you shall certainly die.’”

Jehoram Reigns over Israel

¹⁷ So Ahaziah died in accordance with the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken. And since he had no son, Jehoram became king in his place ^(EC)in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. ¹⁸ Now as for the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

Elijah Taken to Heaven

2 Now it came about, when the Lord was about to ^(ED)bring Elijah up by a ^[bt]whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah left ^(EE)Gilgal with ^(EF)Elisha. ² And Elijah said to Elisha, “^(EG)Stay here please, for the Lord has sent me as far as ^(EH)Bethel.” But Elisha said, “^(EI)As surely as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. ³ Then ^(EJ)the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel went out to Elisha and said to him, “Are you aware that the Lord will take away your master from over ^[bu]you today?” And he said, “Yes, I am aware; say nothing about it.”

⁴ And Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please ^(EK)stay here, for the Lord has sent me to ^(EL)Jericho.” But he said, “^(EM)As surely as the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. ⁵ Then ^(EN)the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “^(EO)Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over ^[bv]you today?” And he ^[bw]answered, “Yes, I know; say nothing about it.” ⁶ And Elijah said to him, “Please ^(EP)stay here, for the Lord has sent me to ^(EQ)the Jordan.” But he said, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.

⁷ Now ^(ER)fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. ⁸ And Elijah ^(ES)took his coat, folded it, and ^(ET)struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

⁹ When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask me what I should do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let a ^(EU)double portion of your spirit be upon me.” ¹⁰ He said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you ^(EV)see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” ¹¹ And as they were walking along and talking, behold, ^(EW)a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and they separated the two of them. Then Elijah went up by a ^[bx]whirlwind to heaven. ¹² And Elisha was watching it and he was crying out, “^(EX)My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” And he did not see ^[by]Elijah again. Then ^(EY)he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. ¹³ He also took up the coat of Elijah that had fallen from him, and he went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ Then he took the coat of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the waters, and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had ^(EZ)struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over.

Elisha Succeeds Elijah

¹⁵ Now when ^(FA)the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah has settled on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him. ¹⁶ Then they said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men; please let them go and search for your master, in case ^(FB)the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley.” But he said, “You shall not send anyone.” ¹⁷ Yet when ^(FC)they urged him until he was ashamed to refuse, he said, “Send them.” So they sent fifty men; and they searched for three days, but did not find him. ¹⁸ They returned to him while he was staying in Jericho; and he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?”

¹⁹ Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold now, the site of the city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad and the land ^[bz]is unfruitful.” ²⁰ And he said, “Bring me a new jar, and put salt ^[ca]in it.” So they brought it to him. ²¹ Then he went out to the spring of water and ^(FD)threw salt ^[cb]in it and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have ^[cc]purified these waters; there shall not come from there death or ^[cd]unfruitfulness any longer.’” ²² So the waters have been ^[ce]purified to this day, in accordance with the word of Elisha which he spoke.

²³ Now he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the road, some young boys came out from the city and ^(FE)ridiculed him and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!” ²⁴ When he looked behind him and saw them, he ^(FF)cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two ^[cf]of the boys. ²⁵ He then went on from there to ^(FG)Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

Jehoram Meets Moabite Rebellion

3 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria ^(FH)in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned for twelve years. ² He did evil in the sight of the Lord, though not like his father and his mother; for ^(FI)he removed the memorial stone of Baal ^(FJ)which his father had made. ³ Nevertheless, ^(FK)he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into ^(FL)which he misled Israel; he did not abandon them.

⁴ Now Mesha the king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he ^(FM)used to make tribute payments to the king of Israel of a hundred thousand lambs, and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. ⁵ However, ^(FN)when King Ahab died, the king of Moab broke with the ^[cg]king of Israel. ⁶ So King Jehoram left Samaria for battle ^[ch]at that time and mustered all Israel. ⁷ Then he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has broken away from me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And he said, “I will go up. ^[ci](FO)Consider me yours, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” ⁸ Then he said, “Which way shall we go up?” And he ^[cj]answered, “The way of the wilderness of Edom.”

⁹ So ^(FP)the king of Israel went with ^(FQ)the king of Judah and ^(FR)the king of Edom, and they made a circuit of seven days’ journey. But there was no water for the army or for the cattle that ^[ck]followed them. ¹⁰ Then the king of Israel said, “It is hopeless! For the Lord has called these three kings to hand them over to Moab!” ¹¹ But Jehoshaphat said, “^(FS)Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?” And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, “^(FT)Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, ^(FU)who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.” ¹² And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

¹³ Now Elisha said to the king of Israel, “^[cl]What business do you have with me? ^(FV)Go to your father’s prophets and your mother’s prophets.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the Lord has called these three kings together to hand them over to Moab.” ¹⁴ Elisha said, “^(FW)As surely as the Lord of armies lives, before whom I stand, if I did not respect Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you. ¹⁵ But now ^(FX)bring me a ^[cm]musician.” And it came about, when the ^[cn]musician played, that ^(FY)the hand of the Lord came upon him. ¹⁶ And he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Make this valley ^[co]full of trenches.’ ¹⁷ For the Lord says this: ‘You will not see wind, nor will you see rain; yet that valley ^(FZ)shall be filled with water, so that you will drink, you, your livestock, and your other animals. ¹⁸ And this is an ^(GA)insignificant thing in the sight of the Lord; He will also give the Moabites into your hand. ^19 (GB)Then you shall strike every fortified city and every choice city, and ^[cp]cut down every good tree and stop up all the springs of water, and spoil every good plot of land with stones.’” ²⁰ And it happened in the morning ^(GC)about the time of offering the sacrifice, that behold, water came from the direction of Edom, and the country was filled with water.

²¹ Now all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. And all who were able to ^[cq]put on armor and older were summoned and they took their positions on the border. ²² Then they got up early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood. ²³ So they said, “This is blood; the kings must have fought each other, and they have killed one another. Now then, Moab, to the spoils!” ²⁴ But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and struck the Moabites, so that they fled from them; and the Israelites invaded ^[cr]the land, ^[cs]killing the Moabites. ^25 (GD)So they destroyed the cities; and each one threw a stone on every plot of good land and filled it. So they stopped up every spring of water and ^[ct]cut down every good tree, until in ^(GE)Kir-hareseth only they left its stones; however, the rock slingers surrounded it and struck it. ²⁶ When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not. ²⁷ Then the king of Moab took his oldest son who was to reign in his place, and ^(GF)offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And great anger came upon Israel, and they departed from him and returned to their own land.

The Widow’s Oil

4 Now a woman of the wives of ^(GG)the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord; and ^(GH)the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” ² So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except ^(GI)a jar of oil.” ³ Then he said, “Go, ^[cu]borrow containers ^[cv]elsewhere for yourself, empty containers from all your neighbors—do not get too few. ⁴ Then you shall come in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour into all these containers; and you shall set aside what is full.” ⁵ So she left him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they began bringing the containers to her, and she poured the oil. ⁶ When ^(GJ)the containers were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.” But he said to her, “There ^[cw]are no more containers.” Then the oil stopped. ⁷ So she came and told ^(GK)the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”

The Shunammite Woman

⁸ Now a day came when Elisha went over to ^(GL)Shunem, where there was a ^[cx]prominent woman, and she urged him to eat ^[cy]food. And so it was, as often as he passed by, that he turned in there to eat ^[cz]food. ⁹ And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I am aware that this is a holy ^(GM)man of God passing by us repeatedly. ¹⁰ Please, let’s ^(GN)make a little walled upper room, and let’s set up a bed for him there, and a table, a chair, and a lampstand; then it shall be, when he comes to us, that he can turn in there.”

¹¹ Now ^[da]one day he came there, and turned in to the upper room and ^[db]rested. ¹² Then he said to his servant ^(GO)Gehazi, “Call this Shunammite.” And when he had called her, she stood before him. ¹³ And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Behold, you have taken trouble for us with all this ^[dc]care; what can I do for you? ^[dd]Would you like me to speak for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’” But she ^[de]answered, “I live among my own people.” ¹⁴ So he said, “What then is to be done for her?” And Gehazi ^[df]answered, “It is a fact that she has no son, and her husband is old.” ¹⁵ He then said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. ¹⁶ Then he said, “^(GP)At this season ^[dg]next year, you are going to embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, you man of God, ^(GQ)do not lie to your servant.”

¹⁷ Now the woman conceived and gave birth to a son at that season ^[dh]the next year, as Elisha had told her.

The Shunammite’s Son

¹⁸ When the child was grown, the day came that he went out to his father, to the reapers. ¹⁹ And he said to his father, “My head, my head!” And his father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” ²⁰ When he had carried him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her ^[di]lap until noon, and then he died. ²¹ And she went up and ^(GR)laid him on the bed of ^(GS)the man of God, and shut the door behind him and left. ²² Then she called to her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so that I may run to the man of God and return.” ²³ But he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither ^(GT)new moon nor Sabbath.” So she just said, “It will be fine.” ²⁴ Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Drive the donkey and go on; do not slow down ^[dj]the pace for me unless I tell you.” ²⁵ So she went on and came to the man of God at ^(GU)Mount Carmel.

When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Behold, that person there is the Shunammite. ²⁶ Please run now to meet her and say to her, ‘Is it going well for you? Is it going well for your husband? Is it going well for the child?’” Then she ^[dk]answered, “It is going well.” ²⁷ But she came to the man of God ^(GV)at the hill and took hold of his feet. And Gehazi came up to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is ^[dl]troubled within her; and the Lord has concealed it from me and has not informed me.” ²⁸ Then she said, “Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, ‘^(GW)Do not give me false hope’?”

²⁹ Then he said to Gehazi, “^[dm](GX)Get ready and ^(GY)take my staff in your hand, and go; if you meet anyone, do not ^[dn](GZ)greet him, and if anyone ^[do]greets you, do not reply to him. And ^(HA)lay my staff on the boy’s face.” ³⁰ The mother of the boy said, “^(HB)As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her. ³¹ Then Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or ^[dp]response. So he returned to meet him and informed him, saying, “The boy ^(HC)has not awakened.”

³² When Elisha entered the house, behold the boy was dead, laid on his bed. ³³ So he entered and ^(HD)shut the door behind them both, and he prayed to the Lord. ³⁴ Then ^(HE)he got up on the bed and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, his hands on his hands, and he bent down on him; and the flesh of the child became warm. ³⁵ Then he returned and walked in the house back and forth once, and went up and ^(HF)bent down on him; and the boy sneezed seven times, then the boy opened his eyes. ³⁶ And he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. And when she came to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” ³⁷ Then she came in and fell at his feet and bowed down to the ground, and ^(HG)she picked up her son and left.

The Poisonous Stew

³⁸ When Elisha returned to ^(HH)Gilgal, there was ^(HI)a famine in the land. ^[dq]As ^(HJ)the sons of the prophets ^(HK)were sitting in front of him, he said to his servant, “^(HL)Put on the large pot and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.” ³⁹ Then one went out into the field to gather mallow, and found a wild vine and gathered from it his lap full of wild gourds; and he came and sliced them into the pot of stew, because they did not know what they were. ⁴⁰ So they poured it out for the men to eat. But as they were eating the stew, they cried out and said, “You man of God, there is ^(HM)death in the pot!” And they were unable to eat. ⁴¹ Then he said, “Bring flour.” ^(HN)And he threw it into the pot, and said, “Pour it out for the people that they may eat.” Then there was nothing harmful in the pot.

⁴² Now a man came from Baal-shalishah, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh grain in his sack. And Elisha said, “^(HO)Give them to the people that they may eat.” ⁴³ But his attendant said, “How ^(HP)am I to serve this to a hundred men?” Nevertheless he said, “Give them to the people that they may eat, for this is what the Lord says: ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’” ⁴⁴ So he served it to them, and they ate and ^(HQ)had some left over, in accordance with the word of the Lord.

Naaman Is Healed

5 Now ^(HR)Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man ^[dr]in the view of his master, and eminent, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, but afflicted with leprosy. ² Now the Arameans had gone out ^(HS)in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she ^[ds]waited on Naaman’s wife. ³ And she said to her mistress, “If only my master were ^[dt]with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” ⁴ And ^[du]Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “The girl who is from the land of Israel spoke such and such.” ⁵ Then the king of Aram said, “Go ^[dv]now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and ^(HT)took with him ten ^[dw]talents of silver, six thousand ^[dx]shekels of gold, and ten ^(HU)changes of clothes.

⁶ And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, ^[dy]which said, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” ⁷ But when the king of Israel read the letter, ^(HV)he tore his clothes and said, “^(HW)Am I God, to kill and to keep alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But ^(HX)consider now, and see how he is seeking ^[dz]a quarrel against me.”

⁸ Now it happened, when Elisha ^(HY)the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent word to the king, saying, “Why did you tear your clothes? Just have him come to me, and he shall learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” ⁹ So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots, and stood at the doorway of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “^(HZ)Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.” ¹¹ But Naaman was furious and went away, and he said, “Behold, I ^[ea]thought, ‘He will certainly come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the site and cure the ^[eb]leprosy.’ ¹² Are ^[ec]Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, not better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and ^(IA)went away in a rage. ^13 (IB)Then his servants approached and spoke to him, ^[ed]saying, “^(IC)My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” ¹⁴ So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, in accordance with the word of the man of God; and ^(ID)his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and ^(IE)he was clean.

Gehazi’s Greed

¹⁵ Then he returned to the man of God ^[ee]with all his company, and came and stood before him. And he said, “Behold now, ^(IF)I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; so please ^(IG)accept a ^[ef]gift from your servant now.” ¹⁶ But he said, “^(IH)As surely as the Lord lives, before whom I stand, ^(II)I will accept nothing.” And he urged him to accept it, but he refused. ¹⁷ Then Naaman said, “If not, please let your servant be given two mules’ load of ^(IJ)earth; for your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering nor a sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord. ¹⁸ Regarding this matter may the Lord forgive your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and ^(IK)he leans on my hand and I bow down in the house of Rimmon, when I bow down in the house of Rimmon, may the Lord please forgive your servant in this matter.” ¹⁹ He said to him, “^(IL)Go in peace.” So he went some distance from him.

²⁰ But ^(IM)Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, ^[eg]thought, “Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, ^[eh]by not accepting from his hand what he brought. ^(IN)As the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” ²¹ So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he came down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is everything well?” ²² And he said, “^(IO)Everything is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Behold, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from ^(IP)the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and ^(IQ)two changes of clothes.’” ²³ Naaman said, “^(IR)Be sure to take two talents.” And he urged him, and tied up two talents of silver in two bags with two changes of clothes, and gave them to two of his servants; and they carried them before him. ²⁴ When he came to the ^[ei]hill, he took them from their hand and ^(IS)deposited them in the house, and he sent the men away, and they departed. ²⁵ But he went in and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” And he said, “^(IT)Your servant went nowhere.”

²⁶ Then he said to him, “Did my heart not go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? ^(IU)Is it a time to accept money and to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, sheep, oxen, and male and female slaves? ²⁷ Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your ^[ej]descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence ^(IV)afflicted with leprosy, as white as snow.

The Axe Head Recovered

6 Now ^(IW)the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Behold now, the place ^[ek]before you where we are living is too cramped for us. ² Please let us go to the Jordan, and let us each take from there a beam, and let us construct a place there for ourselves, to live there.” So he said, “Go.” ³ Then one of them said, “Please agree and go with your servants.” And he said, “I will go.” ⁴ So he went with them; and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. ⁵ But it happened that as one of them was ^[el]cutting down a beam, ^[em]the axe head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Oh, my master! It was borrowed!” ⁶ Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And when he showed him the place, ^(IX)he cut off a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron float. ⁷ Then he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it.

The Arameans Plot to Capture Elisha

⁸ Now the king of Aram was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, “In such and such a place shall be my camp.” ⁹ But ^(IY)the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, saying, “Be careful that you do not pass this place, because the Arameans are coming down there.” ¹⁰ And the king of Israel sent scouts to the place about which the man of God had told him; so he warned him, so that he was on his guard there, ^[en]more than once or twice.

¹¹ Now the heart of the king of Aram was enraged over this matter; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not tell me which of us is for the king of Israel?” ¹² One of his servants said, “No, my lord, the king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” ¹³ So he said, “Go and see where he is, so that I may send men and take him.” And it was told to him, saying, “Behold, he is in ^(IZ)Dothan.” ¹⁴ So he sent horses and chariots and a substantial army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.

¹⁵ Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “This is hopeless, my master! ^[eo]What are we to do?” ¹⁶ And he said, “^(JA)Do not be afraid, for ^(JB)those who are with us are ^[ep]greater than those who are with them.” ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed and said, “^(JC)Lord, please, open his eyes so that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of ^(JD)horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. ¹⁸ And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Please strike this ^[eq]people with blindness.” So He ^(JE)struck them with blindness in accordance with the word of Elisha. ¹⁹ Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, nor is this the city; follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he brought them to Samaria.

²⁰ When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, “^(JF)Lord, open the eyes of these men, so that they may see.” So the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. ²¹ Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, “^(JG)My father, shall I ^[er]kill them? Shall I ^[es]kill them?” ²² But he ^[et]answered, “You shall not ^[eu]kill them. Would you ^[ev](JH)kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? ^(JI)Set bread and water before them, so that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.” ²³ So he provided a large feast for them; and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And ^(JJ)the marauding bands of Arameans did not come again into the land of Israel.

The Siege of Samaria—Cannibalism

²⁴ Now it came about after this, that ^(JK)Ben-hadad the king of Aram gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria. ²⁵ So there was a severe ^(JL)famine in Samaria; and behold, they kept besieging it until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a fourth of a ^[ew]kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver. ²⁶ And as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord the king!” ²⁷ But he said, “^[ex]If the Lord does not help you, from where am I to help you? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?” ²⁸ Then the king said to her, “^(JM)What ^[ey]is on your mind?” And she said, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son so that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ ^29 (JN)So we cooked my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, so that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.” ³⁰ When the king heard the woman’s words, ^(JO)he tore his clothes—and he was passing by on the wall—and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth ^[ez]underneath on his ^[fa]body. ³¹ Then he said, “May ^(JP)God do so to me and more so, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat ^[fb]remains on him today.”

³² Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and ^(JQ)the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man from his presence; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you ^(JR)see how this son of a murderer has sent a man to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and ^[fc]hold the door shut against him. Is the sound of his master’s feet not behind him?” ³³ While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him and he said, “^(JS)Behold, this evil is from the Lord; why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”

Elisha Promises Food

7 Then Elisha said, “Listen to the word of the Lord; this is what the Lord says: ‘^(JT)About this time tomorrow a ^[fd]measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.’” ^2 (JU)The royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning responded to the man of God and said, “^(JV)Even if the Lord were to make ^[fe]windows in heaven, could this thing happen?” Then he said, “Behold, you are going to see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat ^[ff]any of it.”

Four Men with Leprosy Report Arameans’ Flight

³ Now there were four ^(JW)leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? ⁴ If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ then the famine is in the city and we will die there; but if we sit here, we will also die. Now then come, and let’s go over to ^(JX)the camp of the Arameans. If they spare us, we will live; and if they kill us, then we will die.” ⁵ So they got up at twilight to go to the camp of the Arameans; when they came to the outskirts of the camp of the Arameans, behold, there was no one there. ⁶ For ^(JY)the Lord had made the army of the Arameans hear a sound of chariots, a sound of horses, that is, the sound of a great army; and they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired ^(JZ)the kings of the Hittites and ^(KA)the kings of the Egyptians against us, to ^[fg]attack us!” ⁷ So they ^(KB)got up and fled at twilight, and abandoned their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—indeed the camp itself, just as it was; and they fled for their lives. ⁸ When these men with leprosy came to the outskirts of the camp, they entered one tent and ate and drank, and ^(KC)carried from there silver, gold, and clothes, and they went and hid them; then they returned and entered another tent, and carried valuables from there also, and went and hid them.

⁹ Then they said to one another, “We are not doing the right thing. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent about it; if we wait until the morning light, punishment will ^[fh]overtake us. Now then come, let’s go and inform the king’s household.” ¹⁰ So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, saying, “We came to the camp of the Arameans, and behold, there was no one there, nor a human voice; only the horses tied and the donkeys tied, and the tents just as they were.” ¹¹ And the gatekeepers called and announced it inside the king’s house. ¹² Then the king got up in the night and said to his servants, “I will now tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know that ^(KD)we are hungry; so they have left the camp ^(KE)to hide themselves in the field, saying, ‘When they come out of the city, we will capture them alive and get into the city.’” ¹³ One of his servants responded and said, “Please, have some men take five of the horses that remain, which are left ^[fi]in the city. Behold, they will be in any case like all the multitude of Israel who are left in it; behold, they will be like all the multitude of Israel who have already perished, so let us send them and see.” ¹⁴ Therefore they took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the army of the Arameans, saying, “Go and see.”

The Promise Fulfilled

¹⁵ They went after them to the Jordan, and behold, all the way was full of clothes and equipment which the Arameans had thrown away when they fled in a hurry. Then the messengers returned and informed the king.

¹⁶ So the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. Then a ^[fj]measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two ^[fk]measures of barley for a shekel, ^(KF)in accordance with the word of the Lord. ¹⁷ Now the king appointed ^(KG)the royal officer on whose hand he leaned ^[fl]to be in charge of the gate; but the people trampled on him at the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had said, ^(KH)who spoke when the king came down to him. ¹⁸ So it happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, “^(KI)Two ^[fm]measures of barley for a shekel and a ^[fn]measure of fine flour for a shekel, will be sold about this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria.” ¹⁹ At that time the royal officer had responded to the man of God and said, “Now even if ^(KJ)the Lord were to make windows in heaven, could such a thing as this happen?” And he had said, “Behold, you are going to see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat ^[fo]any of it.” ²⁰ And this is what happened to him, for the people trampled on him at the gate and he died.

Jehoram Restores the Shunammite’s Land

8 Now ^(KK)Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise and go ^[fp]with your household, and live wherever you can live; for the ^(KL)Lord has called for a famine, and ^(KM)it will indeed come on the land for seven years.” ² So the woman arose and acted in accordance with the word of the man of God: she went with her household and resided in the land of the Philistines for seven years. ³ Then at the end of seven years, the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went to ^[fq]appeal to the king for her house and for her field. ⁴ Now the king was speaking with ^(KN)Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Please report to me all the great things that Elisha has done.” ⁵ And as he was reporting to the king ^(KO)how he had restored to life the one who was dead, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life ^[fr]appealed to the king for her house and for her field. And Gehazi said, “My lord the king, this is the woman and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.” ⁶ When the king asked the woman, she told everything to him. So the king appointed an officer for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers and all the produce of the field from the day that she left the land even until now.”

Elisha Predicts Evil from Hazael

⁷ Then Elisha came to ^(KP)Damascus. Now ^(KQ)Ben-hadad, the king of Aram, was sick, and it was told to him, saying, “^(KR)The man of God has come here.” ⁸ And the king said to ^(KS)Hazael, “^(KT)Take a gift in your hand and go to meet the man of God, and ^(KU)inquire of the Lord by him, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” ⁹ So Hazael went to meet him and took a gift in his hand, even every kind of good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ loads; and he came and stood before him and said, “^(KV)Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” ¹⁰ Then Elisha said to him, “^(KW)Go, say to him, ‘You will certainly recover’; but the ^(KX)Lord has shown me that he will certainly die.” ¹¹ And he ^[fs]stared steadily at him ^(KY)until Hazael was embarrassed, and then ^(KZ)the man of God wept. ¹² And Hazael said, “Why is my lord weeping?” And he ^[ft]answered, “Because ^(LA)I know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel: you will set their fortified cities on fire, you will kill their young men with the sword, their little ones you ^(LB)will smash to pieces, and you will rip up their pregnant women.” ¹³ Then Hazael said, “But what is your servant—^(LC)a lowly dog—that he could do this great thing?” And Elisha ^[fu]answered, “^(LD)The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram.” ¹⁴ So he left Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he ^[fv]answered, “He told me that ^(LE)you would certainly recover.” ¹⁵ But on the following day, he took the ^[fw]cover and dipped it in water, and spread it over his face, ^(LF)so that he died. And Hazael became king in his place.

Another Jehoram Reigns in Judah

¹⁶ Now in the fifth year of ^(LG)Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king. ¹⁷ He was ^(LH)thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. ¹⁸ He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for ^(LI)Ahab’s daughter was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. ¹⁹ However, the Lord did not want to destroy Judah, for the sake of David His servant, ^(LJ)since He had ^[fx]promised him to give him a ^[fy]lamp through his sons always.

²⁰ In his days ^(LK)Edom broke away from the ^[fz]rule of Judah, and appointed a king over themselves. ²¹ Then Joram crossed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he got up at night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; ^(LL)but ^[ga]his army fled to their tents. ^22 (LM)So Edom has broken away from ^[gb]Judah to this day. Then ^(LN)Libnah broke away at the same time. ²³ Now the rest of the acts of Joram and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

Ahaziah Succeeds Jehoram in Judah

²⁴ So Joram ^[gc]lay down with his fathers and ^(LO)was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and his son ^(LP)Ahaziah became king in his place.

^25 (LQ)In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. ^26 (LR)Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. ^27 (LS)He walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the Lord, like the house of Ahab, because he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.

²⁸ Then he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against ^(LT)Hazael king of Aram at ^(LU)Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans ^[gd]wounded Joram. ²⁹ So ^(LV)King Joram returned to have himself healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Arameans had ^[ge]inflicted on him at ^(LW)Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then ^(LX)Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel because he was sick.

Jehu Reigns over Israel

9 Now Elisha the prophet summoned one of ^(LY)the sons of the prophets and said to him, “^[gf](LZ)Get ready and ^(MA)take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to ^(MB)Ramoth-gilead. ² When you arrive there, then look there for ^(MC)Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in and ^(MD)have him get up from among his brothers, and bring him to an inner room. ³ Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head, and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: “^(ME)I have anointed you king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and flee, and do not wait.”

⁴ So ^(MF)the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. ⁵ When he arrived, behold, the commanders of the army were sitting, and he said, “I have a word for you, commander.” And Jehu said, “^[gg]For which one of us?” And he said, “For you, commander.” ⁶ He then got up and went into the house, and the prophet’s servant poured the oil on his head and said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘^(MG)I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. ⁷ And you shall strike the house of Ahab your master, ^(MH)so that I may avenge ^(MI)the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, ^(MJ)at the hand of Jezebel. ⁸ For the entire house of Ahab shall perish, and ^(MK)I will eliminate from Ahab ^(ML)every male person ^(MM)both ^[gh]slave and free in Israel. ^9 (MN)I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and ^(MO)like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. ^10 (MP)The dogs will eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and no one will bury her.’” Then he opened the door and fled.

¹¹ Now Jehu went out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, “^(MQ)Is everything well? Why did this ^(MR)crazy fellow come to you?” And he said to them, “You know very well the man and his talk.” ¹² And they said, “It is a lie; tell us now.” And he said, “Such and such he said to me, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’” ¹³ Then ^(MS)they hurried, and each man took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and ^(MT)blew the trumpet, saying, “Jehu is king!”

Jehu Assassinates Jehoram (Joram)

¹⁴ So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. ^(MU)Now Joram ^[gi]with all Israel was ^[gj]defending Ramoth-gilead against Hazael king of Aram, ¹⁵ but ^(MV)King ^[gk]Joram had returned to Jezreel to have himself healed of the wounds which the Arameans had ^[gl]inflicted on him when he fought Hazael king of Aram. So Jehu said to the other men, “If this is your ^[gm]intent, then let no ^[gn]one escape from the city to go tell about it in Jezreel.” ¹⁶ Then Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, since Joram was lying there recovering. ^(MW)And Ahaziah the king of Judah had come down to see Joram.

¹⁷ Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and he saw the ^[go]company of Jehu as he came, and he said, “I see a ^[gp]company.” And ^[gq]Joram said, “Take a horseman and send him to meet them and have him ^[gr]ask, ‘Is your intention peace?’” ¹⁸ So a horseman went to meet him and said, “This is what the king says: ‘Is your intention peace?’” But Jehu said, “^[gs](MX)How is peace any business of yours? Turn and follow me.” And the watchman ^[gt]reported, “The messenger came to them, but he did not return.” ¹⁹ Then he sent a second horseman, and he came to them and said, “This is what the king says: ‘Is your intention peace?’” And Jehu ^[gu]answered, “^[gv]How is peace any business of yours? Turn and follow me.” ²⁰ And the watchman ^[gw]reported, “He came up to them, but he did not return; and ^(MY)the ^[gx]driving is like the driving of ^(MZ)Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously.”

²¹ Then ^[gy]Joram said, “^[gz]Get ready.” And they ^[ha]made his chariot ready. ^(NA)Then ^[hb]Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu and found him on the ^[hc](NB)property of Naboth the Jezreelite. ²² When ^[hd]Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is your intention peace, Jehu?” And he ^[he]answered, “What ‘peace,’ ^(NC)so long as your mother Jezebel’s acts of prostitution and witchcraft are so many?” ²³ So ^[hf]Joram ^[hg]turned back and fled, and he said to Ahaziah, “^(ND)There is treachery, Ahaziah!” ²⁴ Then ^(NE)Jehu ^[hh]drew his bow with his full strength and ^[hi]shot ^[hj]Joram between his arms; and the arrow went ^[hk]through his heart, and he sank in his chariot. ²⁵ And Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, “Pick him up and ^(NF)throw him on the ^[hl]property of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember, when ^[hm]you and I were riding together after his father Ahab, that the ^(NG)Lord brought this ^(NH)pronouncement against him: ²⁶ ‘^(NI)I have certainly seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,’ declares the Lord, ‘and ^(NJ)I will repay you on this ^[hn]property,’ declares the Lord. Now then, pick him up and throw him on the ^[ho]property, in accordance with the word of the Lord.”

Jehu Assassinates Ahaziah

^27 (NK)When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by way of the garden house. But Jehu pursued him and said, “^[hp]Shoot him too, in the chariot.” So they shot him at the ascent of Gur, which is at ^(NL)Ibleam. But he fled to Megiddo and died there. ^28 (NM)Then his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his grave with his fathers in the city of David.

²⁹ Now in ^(NN)the eleventh year of Joram, the son of Ahab, Ahaziah became king over Judah.

³⁰ When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard about it, and ^(NO)she put makeup on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked down through the window. ³¹ As Jehu entered the gate, she said, “^(NP)Is your intention peace, Zimri, his master’s murderer?” ³² Then he raised his face toward the window and said, “Who is with me, who?” And two or three officials looked down at him.

Jezebel Is Killed

³³ Then he said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and he trampled her underfoot. ³⁴ When he came in, he ate and drank; and he said, “See now to ^(NQ)this cursed woman and bury her, for ^(NR)she is a king’s daughter.” ³⁵ So they went to bury her, but they found nothing of her except the skull, the feet, and the palms of her hands. ³⁶ Therefore they returned and informed him. And he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘^(NS)On the ^[hq]property of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; ³⁷ and ^(NT)the corpse of Jezebel will be like dung on the face of the field in the ^[hr]property of Jezreel, so they cannot say, “This is Jezebel.”’”

Judgment upon Ahab’s House

10 Now Ahab had seventy sons in ^(NU)Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the officials of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of the children of Ahab, saying, ² “And now, ^(NV)when this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons are with you, ^[hs]as well as the chariots and horses, and a fortified city and the weapons, ³ select the best and most capable of your master’s sons and seat him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.” ⁴ But they feared greatly and said, “Behold, ^(NW)the two kings did not stand firm before him; how then can we stand?” ⁵ And the one who was in charge of the household, and the one who was in charge of the city, and the elders, and the guardians of the children, sent word to Jehu, saying, “^(NX)We are your servants, and everything that you tell us we will do. We will not appoint any man king; do what is good in your sight.” ⁶ Then he wrote them a letter a second time, saying, “If you are on my side, and will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel about this time tomorrow.” Now the king’s sons, seventy men, were with the great people of the city, who were raising them. ⁷ When the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and ^(NY)slaughtered them, seventy men, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him at Jezreel. ⁸ When the messenger came and informed him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” he said, “Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.” ⁹ Now in the morning he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are ^[ht]innocent; behold, ^(NZ)I conspired against my master and killed him, but ^(OA)who ^[hu]killed all these? ¹⁰ Know then that ^(OB)nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab, shall ^[hv]fall to the earth, for the Lord has done ^(OC)what He spoke ^[hw]through His servant Elijah.” ¹¹ So Jehu ^[hx]killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in ^(OD)Jezreel, and all his great men, his acquaintances, and his priests, until he left him without a survivor.

¹² Then he set out and ^[hy]went to Samaria. On the way while he was at ^[hz]Beth-eked of the shepherds, ^13 (OE)Jehu ^[ia]encountered the relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah, and he said, “Who are you?” And they ^[ib]answered, “We are the relatives of Ahaziah; and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.” ¹⁴ Then he said, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive, and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.

¹⁵ Now when he had gone from there, he ^[ic]encountered ^(OF)Jehonadab the son of ^(OG)Rechab coming to meet him; and he ^[id]greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, just as my heart is with your heart?” And Jehonadab ^[ie]answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, ^(OH)give me your hand.” And he gave him his hand, and he pulled him up to him into the chariot. ¹⁶ Then he said, “Come with me and ^(OI)see my zeal for the Lord.” So ^[if]he had him ride in his chariot. ¹⁷ When he came to Samaria, ^(OJ)he ^[ig]killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had eliminated ^[ih]them, ^(OK)in accordance with the word of the Lord which He spoke to Elijah.

Jehu Destroys Baal Worshipers

¹⁸ Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “^(OL)Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much. ¹⁹ Now, ^(OM)summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers and all his priests; let no one go missing, because I have a great sacrifice for Baal; whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu did it in deception, in order to eliminate the worshipers of Baal. ²⁰ And Jehu said, “^(ON)Proclaim a holy assembly for Baal.” And ^(OO)they proclaimed it. ²¹ Then Jehu sent word ^[ii]throughout Israel, and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a person left who did not come. And when they entered ^(OP)the house of Baal, the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other. ²² And he said to the one who was ^[ij]in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out the garments for them. ²³ Then Jehu entered the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab; and he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search carefully and see to it that there is here with you none of the servants of the Lord, but only the worshipers of Baal.” ²⁴ Then they entered to ^[ik]offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.

Now Jehu had stationed for himself eighty men outside, and he had said, “^(OQ)The one who allows any of the men whom I bring into your hands to escape ^[il]shall give up his life in exchange.”

²⁵ Then it came about, as soon as he had finished ^[im]offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the ^[in](OR)guard and to the royal officers, “^(OS)Go in, ^[io]kill them; let none come out.” So they ^[ip]killed them with the edge of the sword; and the ^[iq]guard and the royal officers threw them out, and went to the ^[ir]sanctuary of the house of Baal. ²⁶ They brought out the ^(OT)memorial stones of the house of Baal and burned them. ²⁷ They also tore down the memorial stone of Baal and tore down the house of Baal, and ^(OU)made it a latrine as it is to this day.

²⁸ So Jehu eradicated Baal from Israel. ²⁹ However, ^(OV)as for the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel, from these Jehu did not desist, including the ^(OW)golden calves that were at Bethel and at Dan. ³⁰ Yet the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in performing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab in accordance with everything that was in My heart, ^(OX)your sons to the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” ³¹ But Jehu ^(OY)was not careful to walk in the Law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart; ^(OZ)he did not desist from the sins of Jeroboam, into which he misled Israel.

³² In those days the ^(PA)Lord began to cut off pieces from Israel; and ^(PB)Hazael ^[is]defeated them throughout the territory of Israel: ³³ from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the Manassites; from ^(PC)Aroer, which is by the Valley of the Arnon, that is, ^(PD)Gilead and Bashan.

Jehoahaz Succeeds Jehu

³⁴ Now as for the rest of the acts of Jehu and everything that he did and all his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ³⁵ And Jehu ^[it]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And his son Jehoahaz became king in his place. ³⁶ So the ^[iu]time which Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.